Chaffey Joint Union High School District update
There have been many e-mails sent my way about teacher librarians being notified their positions may be eliminated.
I am working on a story about this and talking to the district.
I plan to have a story in the paper either Monday or at the latest Tuesday.
I have seen what happens when you cut credentialed librarians from the budget and I have seen what happens to library programs without these important staff members to lead the way. Many schools in the central valley are limping along without them and students are suffering. Clerks and volunteers simply can not do the job of the teacher librarians, no one on campus can replace him or her. He or she is the only one on campus that has management skills, teaching skills, charisma, technology integration skills and is the one students of all ages turn to when they need a question answered, need something "just right" to read, and need help with wading though the mountains of information that is at their finger tips. Teacher librarians are experts in teaching students (and staff) to be information literate, the most needed skill, to be successful in the 21st century. By having a credentialed teacher librarian on each school site is actually using district money wisely, as they can, and do, fulfill many different niches and job descriptions on a campus. Getting rid of these all-important teachers, would only leave a big hole in the education the students receive and the support and resources the classroom teachers require.
Why! take the Librarians jobs away, when this personnel has played a very important role throughtout history. The librarians second to the teachers, have always assisted on the childs education. Where would the children go after school, to learn about the history of the United States of America, and also how to avoid a budget crisis for the future.
Feel free to also post your comments and read what others have to say on this blog http://www.mohigh.com/library-action-blog.html I believe it's important for community members (parents, students, business owners, etc. need to have a voice too) If you have any additional ideas for ways to trim the budget, please add them the the District's Budget Watch website (see the link on the blog)
Teacher Librarians teach internet safety, 21st century skills, research integrity, and provide quality reading materials which students can self-select (and research proves this is the best way for students to improve vocabulary). As mentioned before, research shows that a well-stocked library with a well-trained staff (including teacher librarians) increases student achievement. Here's a link to some of the research. http://content.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/s/slw3_2008.pdf
Cutting school librarians means cutting access to books, computers,information and most importantly support for students and teachers.
Education should go beyond the basics of the mechanics of reading, math and technology literacy. Educators such as teacher librarians are there to encourage studenta and teachers to reach beyond textbooks. School libraries are safe havens for students, and a place to expand their knowledge and imagination. Without school teacher librarians to safeguard library resources and encourage reading and technology literacy the rich resources available in our school libraries will be poorly used at best or totally lost.
I graduated from Montclair High School in 1972. When I was in high school, I was often homeless, although no one knew. I travelled from home to home and I spent many months hiding out in the youth center at Bethany Baptist Church.
Today I am teaching first grade scholars in a small Michigan farm community. I work with a high school reading group. I write young adult book reviews for the Michigan Reading Journal. I have served on the Michael L. Printz Committee (2005), Best Books for Young Adults, the Randolph Caldecott Committee (2009), and Notable Children's Books committee.
Much of who I am is directly related to libraries. The librarians who assisted me with my informational needs helped create a purpose to my life that I believe saved my life in a way that is closer to being literally true than the cliched figure of speech this may resemble. Removing librarians from schools is short-sighted and sends exactly the wrong message to students.
Now that I am working with high school students, I see the same need for help that I had. Which information can I trust when there are so many conflicting reports? Today when Google can provide millions of websites to teen queries, it is more important than ever to have trained professionals showing students how to find information more efficiently and how to evaluate the content.
As a former high school student who, at times, thought he was smarter than God, all I can say is that the school libraries and public libraries in the Montclair area were humbling and life saving and the force that transformed my life into something that has stayed with me far longer than any lessons from my teachers, any information from my high school friends, and especially the dysfunctional messages from my family. Don't take this critical educational component away from students. Libraries are the academic soul of any school community. They were when I was a student and they are still today.
Ed Spicer, 1972
The Chaffey Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees "steadfastly believes" that "Nothing is more important than student learning and achievement."
It's too bad that the District's proposal to eliminate the teachers from the largest classrooms on their campuses (their libraries) does not mirror that belief.
It's too bad that the District doesn't understand that school libraries positively impact student achievement.
The relationship between school libraries (staffed by credentialed teacher librarians) to student achievement has been proven in study after study.
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslarchive/resourceguides/studentachievement.cfm
The Chaffey Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees "steadfastly believes" that "Nothing is more important than student learning and achievement."
It's too bad that the District's proposal to eliminate the teachers from the largest classrooms on their campuses (their libraries) does not mirror that belief.
It's too bad that the District doesn't understand that school libraries positively impact student achievement.
The relationship between school libraries (staffed by credentialed teacher librarians) to student achievement has been proven in study after study.
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslarchive/resourceguides/studentachievement.cfm